Models have long been used in biological and medical education. Some of them are not merely functional but are exquisite works of art in their own right.
From the 1860s until the late nineteenth century Robert Brendel and his son Reinhold operated a company making botanical models based in Breslau and Berlin in Germany. The use of models has a long history in botanical, zoological, and medical education but Robert and Reinhold brought together a team of exceptional model makers and botanists to create very accurate models which are universally recognised as some of the finest ever created. They used a variety of materials in the construction of their models including wood, papier-mâché, plaster, glass beads, cotton, gelatine, rattan, etc.
The University of Bologna has in its care about 100 of these models. They were formerly used in botanical teaching and are now housed in the Herbarium of the University.
